Standalone Pages

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The “Legend” of Bill Curry

Today, “Legendary” Georgia State Football Coach Bill Curry told his team that he would retire at the end of the season, ending speculation that he was headed out anyway. The word “Legendary” appeared in the original headline of that news story at the link, but wiser minds have prevailed and it’s now gone.

After 19 seasons at Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia State, Curry has a record of 92-118-4.

He had one 10-win season and one SEC Championship: 1989 at Alabama.

Mmm kay.

Bill Curry is an honest, articulate and reasonably intelligent man. But as a football coach, he just didn’t ever seem to “get it.”

As evidence of this, let’s go back to a Montgomery Advertiser article from November, 2005 and comments published from former Curry football player and current radio personality Roger Schultz. The moment was the pre-game lead-up to the first time the Iron Bowl was played at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the campus of Auburn University.

”Coach (Pat) Dye was over there telling them they had to win for their mamas and daddies and girlfriends and everybody who ever loved Auburn," he said. "We were listening to 'One Moment in Time,' by Whitney Houston."

...As a motivational ploy, Curry gave the players a cassette tape of Houston's ballad.

"We were all hoping we wouldn't be first one to start laughing," he said. "Then, he told us to be sure to turn it back in on Monday after the game, or it'd be an NCAA violation. The only way we'd have wanted to keep that cassette was if we'd taped over it with Metallica."

The link to the article no longer works (shame on you for not maintaining your archives, Advertiser webmaster), but the above story has been verified by other player on the team.

Of course, unbeaten, untied and No. 2 ranked Alabama went on to lose that game, 30-20. Curry won a share of the SEC title and a trip to the Sugar Bowl, where the team was manhandled by Miami.

He left Alabama for the softer, greener pastures of Kentucky after a dispute over his contract with the Tide, which was said to be generous but also laden with incentives for winning conference, rivalry and bowls.